4-73: Difference in Status II (3/3)

4-73: Difference in Status II (3/3)

Alas, Tomoe was unrepentant in the face of his accusations. Yet even as they quibbled, Ryou didnt forget to knock out the black-clothed man that tried to attack him without even turning, then he released spiritual power behind him to take out the next two that approached without even raising his hands.

Get lost! Cant you see Im negotiating for my life right now!?

After yelling at the black-clothed men as though he couldnt care less about them, Ryou bowed to Tomoe repeatedly as though he were worshiping her.

He looked kind of pathetic, but everyone else was taken by what hed done prior.

Michizane already couldnt close his mouth when he saw that initial lump of spiritual power, while the black-clothed men froze after seeing those last attacks.

I knew Ryou-samas spiritual power was ridiculous, but

That was basically a spirit cannon. As expected of Ryou-sama, I suppose.

Hes never been taught, so Ryou-sama cant be understood with common sense.

Meanwhile, the three girls behind were drawing cold sweat amidst their admiration.

They knew they were weak, but the two suns standing before them were just too bright.

It felt as though their small bodies would vaporize just by looking at them.

But that was only a given. After all, Tomoes spiritual power which was usually kept suppressed were now being released in full force, while Ryous spiritual power that discharged on its own was now being honed with purpose.

Anyone who could see could faint if they werent careful.

But of course

W-Who called me in that weird manner?

The person in question just broke out in goosebumps when someone suddenly referred to him with a sama.

It was then that he noticed the three girls in the half-destroyed room.

Hey, arent they the people from your club? Why are they here!?

Apparently, theyre related to the exorcist clans. They were also the ones who kidnapped us.

Seriously?

Yep, but before I could get the details out of them, that young master over there attacked.

She wanted to say that she didnt know what was happening either, but before she could, someone interjected.

With how quiet it was, that irritated voice resounded clearly as the young master sprayed out the words from his mouth.

Hey, you maid servants! You refused to address me with a sama yet youre calling those fakes with a sama!?

Thats about what youd expect from him.

The more he talks, the more he pathetic he appears.

The way he spoke suggested he was furious, but really, he was just angry that they were treating him differently than they did them.

Of course, Ryou and Tomoe didnt really care, but the maids acted as though their attitude toward them was a given.

Well, duh! These two are the last of the Abe and Shinguuji clans!

The black-clothed men admonished him, but he pushed them away and smashed that white object into the ground, shattering it like glass.

However, the sound was a bit off, and when the object appeared beneath moonlight, it was finally revealed what it was.

A piece of bone?

There was no mistaking it that texture and shape was definitely that of a bone.

It was hard to say what the original shape of it was since it was immediately shattered, but from a distance, it seemed like the bone of a human hand, the part starting halfway through the arm until the palm.

!

Fear and chill crawled up Tomoe, and immediately, she stood in front of Ryou and everyone to clap her hands.

At the same time, the men also jumped back Michizane in their arms to escape from the bone fragments.

In the next moment, the broken bones immediately swelled, then exploded, creating more shards, but what was really dangerous what the thing spewed in the process.

A light purple smoke. With everyone here able to see, there was no one here who did not know it was dangerous.

For that was none other than the thing which the exorcist clans referred to as miasma, a kind of gas harmful to all life. Basically, a spiritual poison gas.

If not for Tomoes simple exorcism, she would have likely been directly affected.

It was also thanks to her that it did not penetrate the area around the porch where Tomoe and her friends stood.

What did you!?

Even if they could defend themselves with spiritual power, the thick miasma was harmful to Michizane as well.

Thats why the black-clothed men fled. But was that really all there was to that bone?

It was true that Tomoes group couldnt touch this miasma easily either, but it wasnt something that would directly threaten them or bind them.

At most, it would obstruct their vision a bit, but that was irrelevant to someone like Tomoe who could sense their presence.

If so, then

That trouble smells danger, Ryou said.

What a coincidence, I was thinking the same thing too, Tomoe said.

The earth shook.

It was a familiar tremor for students like them.

Indeed, it was gentle compared the lightning attack earlier, but it felt heavy as though something gigantic was walking.

Ryou and Tomoe looked up to the sky and let out a dry laugh.

The miasma that spread like an explosion covered the sky for a moment, but the self-cleansing ability of this place gradually diluted it and exposed what was hidden behind.

In the dead of the night, five pairs of suspicious lights glowed, and perhaps because they were rubbing against each other, or because they were laughing, the sound of wooden clogs clattering and lower jaws shaking filled the air.

Gashadokuro.

There, above, stood a drudge of skeleton giants that covered the night sky.

They looked down at them with their dark hollowed eyes amidst laughter as though appraising them.